Fall Playoffs

As the fall sports season comes to a close, there are some teams that have achieved beyond what was expected and participated in the playoffs. These teams have done what was contrary to public opinion and true underdog stories have been achieved. 

Boys soccer encountered one of the wildest seasons in their history. Coached by Mr. Greening and Mr. Franco, the team was coming off a losing season and not expected to do much in the standings. The team was projected to place fifth in the standings and place behind Hauppauge, West Babylon, Kings Park, and Hills West. What actually happened was a season to remember. The boys were on a roll- they won games and didn’t stop. During the season, they won at least one game against every single team in their league except Hauppauge (Both games played against them resulted in a tie.) At the end of the season they finished 12-1-3; good for the second seed in the playoffs. Students such as Tyler Axleson, Ryan Steel, and Aidan Cuthbertson led the team to a historical record. Unfortunately, their home-field advantage was robbed due to unplayable field conditions and was a contributor to their early first-round exit against John Glenn. Although the team lost in the playoffs the season’s success will be in the books; the team became league champs and at their peak, were ranked #10 in the entire state.

  The other side of soccer was just as wild. Their season was a roller coaster to say the least. 

The team faced both winning and losing streaks, Which jeopardized their shot to make the playoffs multiple times. The girls finished fierce and put up a 6-game winning streak to make the playoffs as the 8th seed. After beating Sayville in an out bracket match up, they were faced with taking down the goliath in Hills West. The Hills West team, league champs and state ranked, had a fierce offense that showed with their 13-1 record. During the game, the girl’s defense was unstoppable and once the game had finished Hills West had put in only one goal to Harborfields’ two. From there, their opponent was fifth-seeded Eastport-South Manor at their turf. Once again the girls upset the favorite. This win catapulted the team to the county finals against Shoreham-Wading River. The girls took the lead early, coming into the half with a 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately, with less than 8 minutes left SWR capitalized on penalties and open field to score two goals and win the game. Although the team took the loss, it is the longest playoff run the girls have taken since 2016 and a great way to finish the season; Underdog county runner-up.

Probably the most expected sport to make postseason was Girls’ Field Hockey; their team is a powerhouse in Suffolk County and has been for a few years now. Last year the team reached the county finals, their goal for this year was to win it. After a great season, the girls finished with a 10-3-1 record (The tie coming from a called game in OT) and cruised to the second seed in the 2019 playoffs. Their first-round match up was at home against rival Rocky Point. In the regular season, the two split wins in both games played against each other, and both games were won by only one score. During the game, the first half was a defensive battle. The Tornadoes took the lead, 1-0 at the half, looking for the win. The 2nd half of the game turned offensive, with each team scoring in a span of just 5 minutes. At the end of regulation, the game was deadlocked 2-2. The game began to look more defensive as no goals were scored in the first overtime, which brought up a second. With just over a minute left, Rocky Point broke from the defenders and scored against goalie Caitlin Collins. This goal won the game and ended the Lady Tornadoes’ season. Although their season is over, there are very few seniors that are leaving the team and there is promising talent including Sophomores Marina Bergin, Emma Flynn and Freshman Maggie Keys. 

The boys’ Cross Country team is another sport that advanced into the postseason. Although the squad was predicted to place 3rd in their league behind powerhouses Hauppauge and West Babylon, team captains like senior Cole Flynn and junior Alec Rees pulled the team to an undefeated 5-0 record, catapulting the group to the postseason. In the Division Championships, the Varsity team placed third in their division out of several others, with an average 5 kilometer time of 18:17. This placement was enough to send the team to the state qualifier on November 8th. After a week of training for the race, the boys battled the frigid temperatures to place fourth out of 10 qualifying schools with an average time of 18:26. This is the farthest the team has gone in the playoffs since 2016. Success is looking bright for the future for the team, as only one senior (Cole Flynn) is set to graduate and the majority of the varsity runners are sophomores and juniors. 

Girls’ swimming is the last sport that had individuals advance to the postseason. The girls started off 2019 with a 3-2 league record, which allowed the talent-heavy team to advance to the postseason. Some notable athletes include Caitlyn Glass, Katie Poschmann, Mary Kate Harris and Sophia Knutson who all advanced to the state qualifiers meet in their respective events. One such athlete, whose name is Julienne Saliou, has qualified for the state meet in the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. In the state meet, she achieved finals times of 52.58 and 57.96, respectively. The backstroke time of 57.96 was just 2.5 seconds away from the Suffolk County record, set by future Olympian Julia Smit in 2005. This is the second consecutive time that she has advanced to states, going to show the competitiveness and true talent that lies within her.

What does this say about sports at Harborfields? Due to many of these sports’ underdog nature, it establishes a sense of toughness and determination for HF’s student athletes. The unexpected nature of this fall sports season has caused Melina Sandel, who takes photos at a majority of the Harborfields sports to think that “sports this year have surpassed all the years I've been at high school and honestly i have been more invested in these sports than the past few years, combined.” Overall, HF had real success in the fall season, and hopefully the success carries to the winter.